Hanging Puckles
by Nanners0474
Summary: Ron is late for class and in his rush to avoid detention he runs smack into the one girl who causes his nothing but grief. But maybe, just maybe she's not so bad after all. PLEASE R&R!


**DISCLAIMER: I do not own any of the Harry Potter characters.  
  
**Author's Note: Hello, again. I hope you enjoy this little fic. I enjoyed writing it. Please read and review and make me a happy, happy girl! No pressure lol. Just so you all know this is not a follow up to my other fic "Fairy Lights" which is also about Luna. However, fairy lights are mentioned in this story so, IF you would like to check out my other fics (shameless self promotion here) they are "Fairy Lights" (about Luna through Harry's POV) and "Mrs. Granger"(about Mrs. Granger dealing with a magical daughter). If you do check them out please review. I would be grateful. Anyway, I hope you like this story. Hugs, Nanners  
  
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HANGING PUCKLES  
  
He ran up the stairs, taking them two at a time in his rush. Any other time he would have impressed himself with the speed and fluidity with which he flew over the stone steps. Playing Quidditch had its advantages. Long legged and tall he had once been lanky and ungraceful. Now, he was athletic and agile. On a normal occasion he would have taken the time to boast and show-off his newly developed skills to his friends, ignoring their rolling eyes and suppressed smirks all the while. But right now he was late for class and Professor MacGonagall was not known for being very understanding toward tardiness.  
  
As he tore down one corridor he mentally cursed Snape for keeping him after class. It wasn't his fault that he had accidentally added too much snake oil to the potion. Harry had started it by making him laugh when he whispered that snake oil must be what Snape washes his hair with. Then Hermione scolded them both for being rude in class, as if they cared.  
  
Well, Ron did care now as he flew up yet another staircase. As he ran he recalled how his elbow had knocked the snake oil into his cauldron when (quite naturally) he had been making faces at Hermione for nagging. Thankfully, Snape had missed the faces but unfortunately he couldn't miss the horrid stench that rose from the potion. Everyone in the room turned green from the smell and Snape, grudgingly, had to let them all leave class early. Everyone but Ron, that is. Ron was forced to stay and clean up the mess. Then he had to magically remove the stench from the air with Snape raging at him the whole time.  
  
So, here he was dashing around a corner with such speed that he nearly fell over. Quickly, he righted himself and prayed silently, "Let Professor McGonagall be in a good mood... Please, please, please, let her be in a good mood."  
  
He raced down hall after hall, his pounding feet echoing as he ran. Then, as he turned into the corridor that would finally lead him to the classroom he let out a whoop of relief seconds before colliding into someone. Books and paper flew through the air as he landed heavily on top of the other person. He heard a muffled "ouch" but wasn't sure if he had uttered it or the other person had. All he knew was that he was laying on top of someone soft, nice smelling, and very female. The male in him quickly began to appreciate the situation. Perhaps being late would be worth the consequences if the face were as pretty as the perfume.  
  
Ron's appreciation of girls was nothing new but it had reached its pinnacle during this past year. Hermione had even called him the walking hormone. "All you think about it Quidditch and girls," she had complained one night at dinner. Ron had rudely replied, "Is there anything else" to which Hermione rolled her eyes.  
  
"Please get off of me, Ronald" Ron turned his face into the girl's neck, appreciating the voice, which was airy and lilting. Then, like a slap in the face, it registered in his brain...no one called him Ronald except his mother and -  
  
"You!" he groaned as he quickly pulled back and looked into the face of the one girl who drove him nuts on a daily basis (besides Hermione).  
  
"Me!" she beamed up at him with a bright smile and wide gray eyes. He quickly scrabbled off of her and took two giant steps backwards as if he feared her as much as he feared spiders.  
  
And there she lay smiling brightly up at him. Her straw-colored hair was piled atop her head in some sort of odd spiky style, her wide gray eyes looked even wider outlined with baby blue glitter, and next to her lips was painted on heart, which was slightly smudged. Her black robes had partially fallen open revealing a pair of long legs incased in pink fishnet stockings. Pink cowboy boots completed the outfit. Two thoughts seemed to pop into his head simultaneously, 'Nice legs' and 'What? No fairy lights?'  
  
Ron mentally cringed; he had no business checking out her legs. This girl was the bane of his existence. She always stared at him in the Great Hall during meal times. She stood too close to him during DA meetings. She called him Ronald, for the love of Merlin! She was just plain weird. Who keeps their wand tucked behind their ear? Who wears butterbeer caps as necklace? Who walked around school with fairy lights blinking in her hair? No one but Luna Lovegood.  
  
Still beaming at him, she said with sincere innocence in her soft, wispy voice, "I don't really mind being under you, Ronald, it's just that you were squishing my Hanging Puckles."  
  
He shook his head. Being under him? Hanging Puckles? He shook his head again. 'Must have knocked the wind out of myself' he thought privately. 'That just made no sense at all.' Hanging Puckles? To his utter horror his gaze slid from her smiling face to her breasts. Hanging Puckles?!?!?! He squeezed his eyes shut and tried to think about anything except Luna's "Hanging Puckles". Although, he thought carelessly, they didn't look like they hung to him...but they defiantly puckled. Ron groaned aloud and cursed his wayward thoughts.  
  
"Are you alright, Ronald?" Ron opened his eyes and suddenly squeaked. There she stood, right in front of him, with her head tilted back so she could stare up at him with concern. He gulped loudly. "I'm fine," he muttered and took a rather unnecessarily large step backwards.  
  
"Alright," she said and turned away. She knelt down and began gathering books and papers together. Ron knelt to do the same in silence. Then he heard her say the oddest thing he had ever heard in his whole life.  
  
"Now, now, my little Puckles, he did not mean to squish you. There is no need to hide." Again Ron's brain shifted into overdrive; he had squashed her Puckles? Her Puckles were hiding? Was that even possible? Unable to help himself he turned to look at her. She sat cross-legged on the floor peering down into the collar of her robes talking to her chest. "There, there," she said in a soothing voice as she caressed her chest through her robes. "Does that feel better?"  
  
Ron gaped. He couldn't look away. Suddenly his ears were red hot and he was having a hard time breathing. 'Oh my god' was his only thought as she reached down inside of her robes and softly sighed as she murmured, "What pretty girls you are."  
  
Then, just as he was about to start drooling, Luna giggled as two furry heads popped out of the collar of her robes and gazed up at her lovingly. She smiled down at them and spoke softly, "Now, Artemis, leave your sister alone. You know that Selene needs her rest."  
  
Ron's overheated brain slowly adjusted to this new development. He stared openly at the creatures that were now snuggling against Luna's neck. To Ron they looked sort of like baby monkeys minus the long tail. They were small, black, with lots of curly, fuzzy fur. They had tiny, beady black eyes and tiny black noses. Their small paws clutched at Luna's shirt as they cuddled her. They made soft little squeaks as she cooed lovingly to them. Ron had to admit, they were very cute.  
  
Luna looked up and caught him staring. He started to look away but she smiled warmly and said, "My Hanging Puckles. Aren't they sweet?" She rubbed her cheek on the top of one fuzzy little head. Before he could ask what they were she began to explain, "They come from India. The wizarding community there considers them sacred. It's said that if a Hanging Puckle chooses to hang it's nest in your garden then your family will be blessed with many healthy children. On my father's last trip to India for the Quibbler he found these two abandoned on the side of the road. He brought them home with him and I've been taking care of them ever since. He didn't find the Giant Clinging Zappa Bug like he was hoping but he found Artemis and Selena instead." She beamed at them like an adoring mother.  
  
Ron only nodded but thought silently, 'Ooooohhhh.....well, that makes more sense than what I was thinking.'  
  
"Do you want to pet them?" Luna asked, breaking through his thoughts. Ron nearly laughed aloud as he thought, 'She wants me to pet her Puckles!" but he bit his lip and nodded again. He inched closer to Luna and reached out a hesitant hand.  
  
"They won't bite," Luna calmly stated then took hold of his hand and placed it on the fuzzy head one of the Puckles. "This is Selena," Luna told him as she moved his hand over the Puckles fur. "She's shy but very, very sweet." Ron inched closer and smiled down at the funny little creature. His smiled broadened when little Selena began to make small peeping sounds in response to him petting her.  
  
"She likes me -" he looked up and found Luna staring at him in that odd way of hers. Her eyes were wide and startlingly gray. Ron suddenly felt like he was trapped, wanting to look away but unable to. He realized that he was so close to her that he could smell her...and she smelled so very nice. She sighed deeply and his eyes were drawn to her slightly parted lips which where moist looking and pink. 'Oh man' he groaned in his mind.  
  
"Ronald?" he heard her whispered question but ignored her as he leaned closer still.  
  
"Ronald?" he watched as his name formed on her lips and groaned aloud, his eyes darting back to hers. "Oh my" was all she said as their eyes locked. His lips were only a whisper away from hers when suddenly one of the Puckles pushed the other and both creatures began to squeak furiously before scurrying down into Luna's robes.  
  
With the moment broken Ron leaned back and rubbed a hand over his face. What had he almost done? He had almost kissed Loony Lovegood! What was wrong with him?  
  
He looked up. Luna was chiding her pets for misbehaving, acting as if nothing odd had just happened. However, Ron noticed that her cheeks where brightly pink. She looked up and blushed even more to find him looking at her. Ron didn't need to see his own face to know he was also beat red.  
  
'Say something!' he shouted at himself. "Ummm...uhhhhh...Are they ok?....You're Puckles - I mean the Puckles, are they ok?"  
  
"Oh, yes. They are fine," she cleared her throat nervously but smiled at Ron. "They always fight."  
  
"Oh"  
  
Suddenly, Luna began to laugh. She looked into her robes and in a giggling voice said, "You guys are tickling me!"  
  
Ron smiled at her laughter.  
  
"Come see what they are doing," Luna laughed and held open the collar of her robes inviting him to look inside.  
  
Ron hesitated for a moment but her warmth and humor was infectious. He slid closer and looked down into her robes. There, Selena was biting Artemis on the ear. Ron laughed and without thinking reached into Luna's robes to separate the creatures. "Now you two girls better behave or else I'll have to teach you some manners."  
  
"Uh hem..."  
  
Ron and Luna jerked apart. There stood Harry and Hermione both wearing expressions of shock and horror for they had just witnessed the unbelievable. Ron Weasley with his hand down Luna Lovegood's robes, telling her "girls" to behave.  
  
There was a long strained pause as everyone remained silent, unable to think of anything to say. Luna was the first to recover from the shock. She quickly gathered up the rest of her books and said to the group, "Well, I better get going. I have to feed these guys. Bye Harry. Bye Hermione...Goodbye Ronald."  
  
Ron watched as she skipped down the corridor and out of sight. Then he looked back at his two best friends. Harry still stood gaping. Hermione had her arms crossed and looked to be waiting for an explanation.  
  
"Professor McGonagall sent us to look for you," Harry explained, awe and awkwardness sounding in his voice.  
  
"What in the magical world was going on just now, Ron Weasley!?!?!?" Hermione shouted.  
  
Still sitting on the floor, Ron looked down the corridor where Luna had just disappeared. A slow smile spread across his face. He began to chuckle. Luna Lovegood, he thought, the bane of his existence. The girl who stared openly at him in the Great Hall, the girl stood too close to him during DA meetings, the girl who kept her wand tucked behind her ear, and wore butterbeer caps as necklace. The girl who was just plain weird.  
  
Ron leaned back and laughed so hard he tears came to his eyes.  
  
"What's so funny?" Hermione demanded. "What's going on? What were you two doing? Ron, you had your hand in her robes!"  
  
Slowly, Ron wiped away the tears of laughter, stood up, looked Harry and Hermione squarely in the eyes and said, "I was petting her Hanging Puckles."  
  
With that Ron gathered up his books and walked off to receive his inevitable detention from Professor McGonagall with a very large grin on his face.  
  
Behind him Hermione turned to Harry and said, "Please tell me Hanging Puckles are not what I think they are."  
  
Harry just shrug and smiled...you just never knew with Luna Lovegood.  
  
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Author's Note: For your FYI, Artemis and Selena are goddesses of the moon.  
  
Thanks for reading. Hope you enjoyed it. R&R.  
  
Nanners 


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